Do It! Marketing Blog: Marketing for Smart People™

Are you wondering how to add social media to your email communications?

Email and social media marketing go together like Batman and Robin.

They both can be effective on their own; however, when combined, their (super) powers can save the city and exceed your marketing goals.

Is Email Dead?

In this article I’ll show you how to combine email marketing with your social media efforts.

In a recent StrongMail survey, ”More than two-thirds of business leaders (68%) say they plan to integrate social media with their email marketing efforts."

As a guy who lives, breathes, eats and sometimes dreams email marketing, I was thrilled to see email getting some mainstream love.

You may be thinking, “Hey, isn’t email dead?”

Think again. I mean, sure, there are certainly case studies of companies forgoing email and replacing it with social media. I’d argue that these are exceptions, certainly not the norm.

This blog post and infographic on the value of email by SmarterTools will quickly dispel the “email is dead” myth.

Need one more proof point that email is not dead? How many times have you checked your email this week? Today? Since you started reading this blog post? Okay. Now that we are all in agreement, let’s continue...

When you’re an expert on a topic, people want to learn from you, and if they can, they want it for free.

They’ll say, “I want to pick your brain. Let me buy you lunch.”

Worst case, they’ll take you to a fast food restaurant and buy you a $5 meal and get thousands worth of advice.

Best case, they’ll take you to a great restaurant, spend $100 and get thousands worth of advice.

While it’s great to meet new people, here’s how can you say, “No, I won’t have lunch with you just so you can get an hour of free consulting” without sounding like a jerk.

1. Just Say, “No”

If you don’t want to discuss your expertise with them, reply with “Sure, but I have ‘no talking about work’ policy at lunch.”

2. Just Say, “Yes, but…”

Or say, “I’d love to have lunch with you. But, if you are looking for input on your project, I charge a consultation fee even if we’re dining. Otherwise, I never discuss work over food. What day works for you?”

3. I Will, If You First…

Get them to do something that shows commitment and shortcuts the process before you accept their invitation.

Say, “Sure! I’m happy to meet with you if you’ll first…” Have them send you an email describing their biggest challenge. Or have them fill out your assessment form. Or, if you’re a content creator, have them first take one of your mini courses.

Guess how many people call to follow up? Very few. Those that do are serious. Those that don’t, aren’t. Do this, and you don’t waste your time on those who aren’t committed.

4. Send Them to Your Website or Blog

Say, “I’ve got a really full schedule for the next month, so why not check out my blog (or website) that answers many of the questions that I get when people invite me to lunch. So, take a look, and send me a list of questions, and we can then schedule something next month.”

5. First, Buy My Book

If you’re an author, say, “I recommend that you first read my book. I specifically wrote it to answer the most common questions that I get. Whatever advice I have to give on [your topic], it’s in there. And it’s cheaper than lunch. So, jot down your questions as you read it, then call me and we can schedule lunch.”

6. Bring a $100 Bill

Say, “Brain picking isn’t free and I don’t eat cheap food. Bring a $100 bill and buy me lunch at a nice restaurant. If you’re not happy with the value of my advice, keep the hundred.”

One of my colleagues does this and he always keeps the hundred.

If they object, say, “I tell you what. I’ll give you three free pieces of advice right now that will make you more successful. Your first free success lesson: never do free consulting. Your second free lesson: free advice isn’t acted on like paid advice. Your third lesson: if you don’t get value in exchange, there is no real value generated.”

And I invite you to pick my brain with free instant access to the questions I get frequently asked when people invite me to lunch. Go to http://CompetitionProof.com now to learn great ideas to sell more, keep more margin, and keep your competitors out of you accounts.

"No, no - remember the acronym I shared with you last time? DIP stands for Dollars In Play." She remembered.

Then she asked me to hang on as she shuffled through some notes and papers.

"Where are you looking for these numbers?" And she said that she keeps a scratch pad by her keyboard and has a more detailed tracking document that she updates every couple of weeks on her computer.

"Oh my goodness, there's your problem right there. You have to keep this info right in front of your face all day long."

REALLY in front of your face. My suggestion - make a poster using something as simple as a piece of flipchart paper and two different size Post-It notes: the Jumbo size and the smaller 3x3 square size.

Here's what a DIP (Dollars in Play) wall chart looks like:

Here's how it works:

1. Two categories: one called "In Play" and the other one for less serious prospects ("Jokers") You can see in the photo above, I've had a little fun and made a silly cartoon joker card. These are folks who are in my pipeline but (in my estimation) less serious, less committed, and less capable of making the financial commitment to hire me.

2. Post your prospects' full names, the service/product/program you discussed with them, the dollar value, and the source. For example, Jane Doe came from a referral from Frank. We have not talked yet, so there's no dollar value. Nat Cole came from Linkedin and we talked about a $1500 1-on-1 marketing consulting package. Sam Smith is hiring me for a $6500 speech in October. (All prospect names have been changed for the purposes of this blog post and photo - could you tell?)

3. Real time updates. Sometimes I'll even grab my pad of 3x3 Post-Its and write someone's name down WHILE I'm on the phone with them, walk over to the wall chart and stick their name on it. Can't tell you how satisfying this physical act can be.

4. Fluid movement. Don't be afraid to upgrade a joker to the serious column and don't be afraid to take a (formerly) serious prospect and move them into the Joker column. The factors to consider are their commitment level based on email and phone communication, their level of responsiveness, and how rapidly you are moving them from point to point in your sales process.

5. Reminders rule. If you see someone on your chart whom you have not spoken with or heard from in a few weeks, you probably need to get back in touch. Ideally, you never have a prospect who is just "floating" out there without a firm decision call on their calendar. But it happens. The chart reminds you to close those loops and corral your prospecting mustangs back onto your sales ranch.

6. Relentless removal. Remember the old sales adage, "Some will. Some won't. Who cares? Next!" That's the point of the chart. Up or out. If you're not going to buy, I'm going to cut you loose and throw you back in the ocean. The SECOND most fun you'll have with this chart (after slapping a brand new prospect's name onto the chart) is grabbing a prospect who said no - or who has disappeared on you despite your best efforts to hold them to their commitments - and RIP their name off the chart and tear it into tiny little pieces and chuck it in the trash.

7. Do the math. Feel the power. The point of tracking your sales pipeline in this manner is so that you have a real-time sense of "Dollars in Play." Every so often, you should glance over at your chart and add up the numbers that you see in the "In Play" column ONLY. (Don't add the jokers because that's why they're in the joker column - instead, do everything you can to move your jokers into the "In play" column or remove them altogether!)

In the photo above, you would have a "Dollars in Play" number of $21,000. For prospects who are considering mutliple options (for example, Mindy Kaling is holding a proposal with a $7500 option and a $2500 option), you should count the higher number.

Two reasons: 1.) It sets your internal expectation in that direction which will enhance your confidence in your subsequent conversations with Mindy. A confident seller creates confident buyers. So it's a self-fulfilling prophecy. 2.) It builds your capacity for marketing optimism, which every entrepreneur needs. Plus if you're going to be relentless in removing people (See Rule #6 above), you might as well be relentlessly optimistic about the folks who earn and keep a place in your active sales pipeline.

Now, are YOU ready for some DIP?

What do YOU think? Please use the COMMENTS area below to share your advice, insights and recommendations on this topic and join the conversation...

How do we know the metrics we're tracking are the right metrics? Do we need to add, change or delete some key success factors?

What are the DNA markers of a 2-year client? 5-year client? 10-year client?

What extra services could we offer in a super-premium version of our core product/service?

What "lite" services could we offer in an entry-level version of our core product/service?

Do we have enough staff, capacity, and bandwidth to handle bigger, better projects? If not, how quickly can we scale with outsourcing, partnering, or subcontracting?

What can we simplify, eliminate, delegate, or outsource?

How can we work with prospects who are ahead of the curve in our area of expertise? (Advanced level program)

How can we work with prospects who are behind the curve in our area of expertise? (Quickstart program)

Are we doing too much marketing and not enough selling?

Are we doing too much selling and not enough marketing?

How are we making our prospects smarter - even if they DON'T buy from us?

Are we articulating clearly and concisely our level of expertise, experience and empathy with our target market?

Are we articulating clearly and concisely the exact types of heartaches, headaches, pains, problems, challenges and gaps that we can fix?

Are we investing in thought leadership marketing strategies like speaking, publishing, and social media to elevate our expertise and stand out from the crowd?

How can we zig where the competition zags?

How can we show - not tell - our clients that we offer products and services that are BFS (better, faster, smarter)?

How can we offer depth with variety?

What can we do to encourage our favorite customers to serve as our most effective salesforce?

How can we provide indisputable points of proof that what we do works, is cost-effective, and is better than any competitor or alternative (customer testimonials, industry recognition, videos, demonstrations, references, case studies, expert endorsements)

What else can we do to qualify the right prospects, disqualify the wrong prospects, and get our sales process to be shorter, sharper, and more streamlined?

When we win business, do we know (exactly) why? When we lose business, do we know (exactly) why? Where has this data been captured and how are you using it to improve your odds with every new prospect day by day and week by week?

Have you shared this post with three people whose business might benefit? Have you bought this book that comes with over $747 of marketing bonuses? Have you noticed there are more than 33 questions in this list? <Smile>.

What makes someone interesting? Or - as they say in marketing lingo - a person of interest to others?

It's a combination of factors, really... and here are five of them for your consideration:

They are not vanilla. They're quirky, pugnacious, determined, and they don't give a rat's ass what the rest of the world thinks. (They also don't mind using terms like "rat's ass" in a blog post.) Bottom line: wolves don't lose sleep over what sheep think of them. Think Donald Trump or Bill Clinton. How vanilla are YOU?

They are articulate. Love 'em or hate 'em, these folks can articulate a point of view. Opinionated, loud, proud, and never dull. The sound bite "frequently wrong, never in doubt" was made for them. Think Bill O'Reilly or Rachel Maddow. How quotable are YOU?

They stand FOR certain things. And they stand AGAINST other things. They energize their followers, antagonize their foes, and polarize the rest of us in the middle. Sound bite: If you don't risk turning SOME people off, you'll never turn anybody on. Think Howard Stern or Sarah Palin. What stand are YOU taking?

They build movements larger than themselves. No matter how big, loud, rich, and famous they are - they're building something bigger than themselves and strive to make an impact beyond themselves. Think Oprah or Bill Gates. What's YOUR movement?

They don't seek media - they ARE the media. They are tastemakers, movers, shakers, interviewers, and relationship-builders. They don't wait for the media to come knocking - they are more likely to post videos, write articles, and interview others to feed their tribe a steady diet of top-notch content. What media did you create today?

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